C.J. was a twelve year old boy, part of a group of eight, using the Ropes Course for the day, with their school. All of the boys were keen to go as far as possible and it became clear that everything was “up for grabs”. All the boys, that is, apart from C.J. From the outset he was more cautious than the rest and there was something “different” about him. The fantastic thing was, the other boys gave genuine support, encouragement and praise for everything he did.

The end of the day arrived and the boys were desperate to try the Gladiator Rings – a tough physical element, 20 metres high, not usually one we’d pick for such a group. However it was their choice, so we rigged it up. C.J. stated at this point that his intended goal was to just swing out on the first ring, and no more. When it came to his go, this was precisely what he did, amidst cheers from his mates and then down he came. As his feet touched the ground he looked directly at me, beaming and cried “I did that!”. From behind me there was a quiet ”Wow!” from someone I thought was a teacher.

Later I spoke with the “teacher” who, it turned out was the school psychiatrist.
“ Why the “wow”?” I asked.
“Because it’s the first time C.J. has ever looked anyone in the eye - in his life”

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